City of Orillia Receives Transit Funding

The City of Orillia is receiving $1,257,526 in funding for the Orillia Transit system through the Public Transit Infrastructure Fund (PTIF). The funding was announced today by Honourable Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development, as part of a larger announcement including 13 Ontario municipalities at a transit facility in Brampton, ON.

The PTIF funds will be used to help purchase five transit buses and five Automatic Stop Announcement (AODA) Systems for the Orillia Transit system. Three of the buses and AODA systems were added to the Orillia fleet in December 2016, and the additional two buses will be ordered in 2017. The PTIF is a federally funded program in conjunction with the province, which provides up to 50 per cent of funding for transit projects designed to address key infrastructure priorities with a focus on repairing and upgrading existing facilities The new buses offer full accessibility, including the ability to kneel or lower to assist with boarding, as well as a quick loading ramp for wheelchairs, seating for 35 people with improved passenger flow and accommodation. All buses will be equipped with an automatic visual and audible stop announcement system to assist all passengers, including those with visual and hearing impairments. This technology will allow the City to add a new transit tile in early 2017 to its free mobile application Pingstreet that will provide real-time bus schedule information to riders. The buses are also equipped with GPS driver display units that assist in keeping buses on schedule and improving overall service.

The PTIF public transit investments are part of the bilateral agreement between Canada and Ontario. The Government of Canada is providing Ontario with over $1.48 billion under PTIF, and will fund up to 50 per cent of the eligible project costs.